Fabio Quagliarella - ☆It's My Season 2011-2012☆ "New" HD

Where's Fabio???

Fabio Quagliarella is a talented player and Juventus bought him after a loan spell last season, and he was Juve's top scorer despite the fact that his season was cut short due to a horrific knee injury in January that meant his season was over. However this season the forward has only played in 1 game and that was as a substitute. After seeing him on the bench a couple of times, one would hope that he would get a chance to shine, but that wasn't the case.

Antonio Conte is spoilt for choice when it come to the attach with players like: Matri, Vucinic, Giaccherini, Elia, Ianquinta, Amauri, Toni and the evergreen Alessandro Del Piero, he does have a bit of a conundrum on his hands. Quagliarella is 28 years old, so not the youngest but he does have a flair for the unconventional goals which is always useful to have at your disposal. I'm also guessing that he wants to be included in Euro 2012 with the current Italy side, he can't exactly be in contention for a role in the Azzurri if he hasn't played a game all season.

It is still early in the season, and you can't blame Conte for playing Matri ahead of Fabio, Matri is in blistering form which can only be good for the team and Antonio may be slightly apprehensive about disturbing the equilibrium. Who knows, maybe we'll see a cameo next week against his former side Napoli. It would be sheer cruelty to let such a talented player waste away on the bench. Surely Juve aren't that cruel...Are they?

Inter vs Juventus

A game that had all the ingredients of being a good watch, it had drama, intrigue but above all good football by Juventus. Inter had spent the week before spreading doubt in the minds of referees, they has been moaning and complaining about how referees were to willing to give free kicks and penalties against them, and that doubt had grow in their minds and thus, Juve were denied a clear penalty just before half time when Inter keeper Luca Casstellazzi came running out the goal and brought down Claudio Marchisio, who has a flair for the dramatic goals. Not only that, but five Juve players got yellow cards, this was classic Inter behaviour, when it looks like they're losing they try to take down as many opposing players as they can, they will try anything from grabbing their face and going down to clearly antagonising the opposing player to get him sent off. But Inters childish behaviour doesn't stop at that, they whine to the referee when a decision doesn't go their way, so much so that Wesley Sneijder should have had two yellow by the end of the match, he was substitute late on probably for that reason and the youngster Ricky Alvarez was brought on, which did cause Juve some problems as by this point they were all exhausted!

The Old Lady could have been atleast 3 up before half time as they wasted opportunities again and again. The first goal came from Mirku Vucinic in the 12th minute, he had been in the right place when Alessandro Matri's shot was saved. It then took Inter till the 38th minute to get the equaliser and when he did the home fans went wild, and it was clear by Maicon's celebration what the goal had meant. But Inter were poor in defence, and if they want to win anything they have to take a look at this as it was becoming childsplay for Juve, but still Juve were not as decisive as they should be upfront. It didn't take Juve long however, as in the 33rd minute Marchisio put Juve infront yet again. He had been everywhere, running himself into the ground and working hard for the team. The 25 year old has really come into his prime but his still has a tendency to accumelate the cards, he had already had three this season and another would have seen him suspended for the game against Napoli.

Inter are in real trouble as they are dangerously close to the relegation zone and Juve have retained their place on the top, but only by two points, so I don't want to see complacency by my team as the other team from Milan are breathing down our neck!

Juventus v Fiorentina

A break neck start for Juventus, while they lost something in the second half. A narrow win that could have easily lead to another draw, which would've meant they dropped another 2 points but as fate would have it, they have regained top spot albeit by only 1 point but if Udinese lose against Napoli, they will once again have some breathing room.

Juve started off brightly with a shot from Simone Pepe on the seventh minute that forced Arthur Boruc to make his first save of the night. Pepe was by far the most hardworking and creative of the bunch, his tireless runs and his ability to get back to help the defence were inspirational. Yet for all his hard work it was not he who scored the first goal. It was Leonardo Bonucci, but it started from another little solider ; Claudio Marchisio. It was his shot on target that forced Boruc to parry the ball within the reach if Bonucci who was the first to react and opened the scoring for The Old Lady.

Juve were wasting an alarming amount of opportunities and should have been up by 2 goals before the break. Out of 21 shot only 14 were on target and only forced the keeper to save on 12 occasions. A statistic that should make the Bianconeri think about their cutting edge. More to the point, Mirku Vucinc was not exactly in sparkling form, out of 5 shots only three were on target and they were either tame or straight at the keeper making it almost an easy save. Juve should work on this as in the second half they paid for all their missed chances with an equaliser by La Viola in the 57th minute. This did cause a slight panic from Juve, which was scrappy to say the least! But Juve eventually found the rhythm and tempo from the first half and resulted in a goal from Alessandro Matri in the 65th minute, it was all due to the hard work and persistent play from Pepe, Pepe had five Fiorentina players around him but still managed to get the ball to Matri and Matri did what all great strikers do.. he banged it into the goal and Juve were once again in the lead.

With all three points collected, Juve can go into Saturday's game with Inter on a high... but they still have a lot to work on. I must say this is one of the better birthdays I have enjoyed. Thank you Juventus!

Milos Krasic 2011 Best Goals *NEW*

Juventus V Genoa

What a game!! It was fast flowing and open, it was clear that both teams went for the win. Juventus wanted all three points as they have a fiery Udinese side breathing down there necks and getting three points clear would have give them some breathing room, but they had to be grateful for a point as they could have easily lost it.

It was a bright start for the home side as Alessandro Matri put the Bianconeri ahead after 6 minutes, it began with a wonderful corner kick from Andrea Pirlo which then found Claudio Marchisio who fired the ball back into the danger area and then the ever aware Matri toe poked it past Sebastian Frey. Andrea Pirlo has really clicked with his new team mates and provides a lot of the creativity that was missing in the last couple of seasons.

Genoa replied to Juve on the 31st minute with a strike from Marco Rossi, but it was an excellent cross from the on loan Milan bot Alexander Merkel, he was a constant Thorn in Juve's side and it was his cross that helped Genoa get back on level terms.

This game showed that it is not just about the attack, I know Conte is trying to be more offensive but their defending was a bit clumsy at time especially from set plays and if they were playing against a better team, they could have easily lost it.

I'm not saying that Genoa are an easy team, they made Marco Storari work hard and had over 40% possession. In the first half Mirku Vucinic made little impact on the game and it talk the half time talk to wake him up. The second half saw him work harder he even had a shot on goal, but he never seemed to be on the same wavelength as Matri as he would often mistime his runs and miss passes. Matri than put Juve ahead in the 58th minute, and again Pirlo had a small hand in it, but again Juve went behind this time with 5 minutes left on the clock.

All the talk before the game was about Krasic and his poor run of late, but personally I think it's to early to make that kind of judgement. Krasic did come on in the 84th minute, which isn't exactly enough time to make any real impact. Krasic looked slow for a change and a bit out of sorts, which was a shame as I was secretly hoping he would get the winner and fall back into the graces on Conte and the fans. Genoa were back in front in the 85th minute with agoal from Genoa substitute Andrea Caracciolo.

There was six minutes of added time and Genoa could have snatched a late winner but thankfully the whistle blew and it ended all square with a point each but a lot for The Old Lady to think about!

PATIENCE PLEASE!

Diego hit the nail on the head when he said they have no patience, as it seems that they are ready to get rid of Milos Krasic... a player that has only had one season and that was with a different coach. He has hardly had any chance to get used to Conte's managerial style, and I remember a number of occasions where Antonio was quoted as saying that he will fit in with his style!!

There are ridiculous rumours going around that he'll play in the premier league, this is absurd as that league is full of thugs and Krasic will get injured so many times that it may prematurely end his playing career, and at only 26 that will be a tragedy for the world of good football. Conte has show that he knows what he's doing, after all Juve are sitting pretty at the top of the league. What he must take into consideration is that unlike last year, Krasic is not new, opposing teams have become aware of what he can do, which is making it twice as hard.

Juventus are financially questionable and I don't think by getting rid of their best players will do anything good to their bank balance! They have already set back Diego's glittering career, they can't do the same to Milos. Please give him time and for god's sake, someone give him a hug! He always looks so sad.

Chievo V Juventus

An underwhelming match after Juves' explosive start, for Juventus and Serie A in general, almost every game ended in a scoreless draw today.

Juve had the lions share of possession with over 60% but they were finding it difficult to get past the well organised Chievo side, Chievo made it their purpose to frustrate the leaders, and they did but Chievo were the team to amass 6 yellow card to Juve's 2, the referee did not have a great game as he let a lot slide and particular protection was given to Andrea Pirlo, which just goes to prove if you're not a giant ass like C Ronaldo, you will get the benefit of the doubt.

Juventus were going for the win and it showed in the stats, 13 shots but only two were on goal, Conte got his tactics wrong in the first half when he decided to go with Vucinic as the loan strike, don't get me wrong, he's a brilliant player but it was evident he needed some support. The problem with just having one upfront is that not only does he lack support, but it makes the attack rather predictable and the opposing team can just smother him. Krasic didn't have a great game but I believe that has more to do with where Conte plays him, remember he's a natural winger not a right sided midfielder, so he was playing out of his element. Least we forget Krasic has greet speed and like to run down the wings, and when he doesn't get teammates making the runs into the area, it can be a bit of a waste and it was no surprise when he was taken off earl on in the second half. But the first half could have ended differently, when Cyril Thereau had thought he had put his side ahead after Buffon had just fumbled a shot from Sergio Pellisier moments earlier, but it was disallowed due to a foul on Pirlo, so he got a yellow card for his troubles as well as having his showed scrubbed off.

The game had started to get very frustrating with Juve player falling over all the time looking for a decision, that is not something you expect from a great team, that's something you expect from Inter!! Juve were lucky not to end the game with 10 men as Chiellini and Vidal were losing their heads, That's one of the problems with Juve, they don't have a natural leader on the pitch, they have Del Piero and Pirlo who are well respected but are not that vocal and imposing.

Juve are still heading the League as 5 out of the 6 games ended in a goalless draw, but the scariest thing about this game was not that they might have a few suspended players, but they started to look like last seasons' Juve, where they started to panic. Hopefully that's not the case and we'll see Juve back to their best next week against Genoa.

FORZA JUVENTUS!

Italian football in decline???

I keep hearing how Serie A and Italian football in general is going downhill. Are they crazy or just stupid?!! It is glaringly obvious that people who say this have not seen an Italian game and are just repeating what some else is saying. I don't care what anyone else says, the Premiership is dull and predictable, maybe the top 4 teams have a little bit of skill but guess what... that's only because many of the players are from abroad! I remember reading an interview when Sergio Aguero first arrived, He was going on and on about how he loves the Premiership, all I was thinking is that he probably loves it so much because scoring goal has never been more easy! In the Premiership you can make an educated guess about who the top 4 are going to be, Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and perhaps Man City, with all there purchases. Also the rest of the league play a type of football I like to call school ground football, it's when the blast the football down field, hoping that someone can knock it in the net. Yes I admit, the Premiership has more pace but pace alone is not enough, you need to know what to do with it, also what's going to happen when that pace goes? Watching the Premiership is like watching Volleyball- the ball goes from one end to another with no thinking inbetween.
Anyone who does watch Serie A will know that the league is far from predictable. For one thing, current holders Milan look like they are in trouble and Napoli are giving everyone a run for their money, Juventus are rejuvenated under Conte and Inter seem to be somewhere in between transition and falling. Serie A is far more unpredictable and exciting, just because they have not got the cash to buy all the players means nothing, after all, cash doesn't automatically mean class!

TORINO

Torino: Passion Lives Here

Juventus: New Era In The New Stadium

Juventus V Milan- The "Little Prince" leaves it late.

A painfully exciting game, I say painful because the longer it stayed goal less I felt that Milan were somehow going to nick it.For the opening 10 minutes Milan had the ball and were roaming in dangerous areas, as a Juve fan this is not what you wanted to see, as the home side they would've been on the ball first. This game was portrayed as a title decider, this may be stretching it a bit... it was more of an indicator, showing the rest of Serie A that The Bianconeri are back!
Juventus had over 505 of the possession, which is a good sign, but it counts for nothing if you don't do anything with it. Cristian Abbiati was put to work a lot more that Buffon as the Juve attack tested him  5 times but had 20 shots, this does bring up an issue, if you have so many shots but only 5 make the keeper work, you have to work on your aim! Juventus did have a large dose of bad luck as Vucinic hit a screamer that hit the posts but didn't go in, and not to forget Vidal's shots late on that went agonisingly close. Speaking about Vidal, he is a bit of a "hot head" and can get a little too excited at times. The thing that I didn't agree with was some of the faking done by Juve, they should not have to resort to this, that's something you expect from Inter. They were trying throughout the second half to get Boateng sent off and were baiting him, late on he did eventually get sent off but it wasn't needed as Milan were starting to look as though they would settle for a goal less draw when they brought on Ambrosini in the 83rd minute. Claudio Marchisio then scored 3 minutes later to sent the stadium and the Coach to cloud 9! He had a shot in the first half but he execution was tame to say the least, it was clear by his second half performance that someone had had their Weetabix as he scored again on the 90th minute, the second goal was more spectacular but just as sweet.

This game was billed as a test to their credentials,and they passed it with flying colours. But I urge the supporters to remain calm, this is only week 6, they still have a long way to go, but this will help boost morale and team spirit.

Inter V Napoli- 0-3!

What a splendid result, and Napoli totally deserved it as they were off right from the get go. The teams didn't need time to settle or get to rhythm as from the first few minute the ball was in one penalty area and then the next. Inter may want to blame everything on the decisions made by the referee, but the truth is that they were sleepwalking through the match, thinking that because they are Inter they were going to make it somehow... well. they were taught a lesson in humility and what a lesson it was as Napoli thumped them thrice!
Inter have such a petulant attitude that I think is left over from Mourinho, if a decision goes against them and when it look like they are going to lose they harass the ref. Julio Cesar was so lucky to be on the pitch as it looked as if he was going to push the official. The more dire the match went for the home side the more animated they got and it was starting to get out of control.
Napoli were by far the more superior side as they had over 50% possession, and they used it well by creating some excellent shooting opportunities and some excellent counter attacks. Napoli were without the star man Edison Cavani but they sure did show they were more than a one man show as Campangnaro, Maggio and Hamsik scored.

Napoli are starting to show they have the right attitude and power to become real title contenders, while Inter's brief resurgence looks to be extremely short lived!